Doha: A special committee has been constituted to address the serious issue of traffic accidents in the Sealine area. The committee will start its work from the beginning of the winter camping season, said a senior official at the Ministry of Interior (MoI).
The main cause of traffic accidents in the Sealine area is reckless dune bashing. “The new committee is headed by Colonel Sheikh Mohamed bin Jassim Al Thani, Director of the Southern Traffic Section, and the focus has been on Sealine because it is among the places where a large number of vehicles and people are present during the camping season. As well reckless dune bashing is practised in the area,” said Colonel Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba, Assistant Director of the Media and Traffic Awareness Department.
According to the Department’s statistics for 2018, the Sealine area was at fifth place in the list of areas witnessing traffic deaths.
Major traffic violations include reckless driving, drifting and hiding vehicle’s number plates among others that endanger the lives of people and the property of road users.
Speaking to Qatar Radio yesterday about ‘safety requirements in the camping season’, he referred to the efforts and preparations made by the General Directorate of Traffic to achieve traffic safety for the campers.
Odaiba said that some youth indulge in wrong behaviours during the camping season, such as over-speeding, reckless driving, and other activities that disturb the campers.
“The security patrols will be deployed to serve the campers, provide assistance and punish those who violate the law,” he said.
Colonel Odaiba also reminded people that the Qatari law bans taking pictures of accidents for a number of considerations, including taking into account the people who were in the accident themselves, as well as taking into account the feelings of their relatives.
“Any violator of the law will expose themselves to punishment, especially if the accident resulted in death or serious injuries. We do not want such incidents to be seen by the parents of deceased because it causes great pain and sometimes even psychological trauma for the families of these people,” he added.
He also explained that the Department will intensify traffic patrols at the winter camping sites, organising awareness and educational visits to the camps, noting to the importance of awareness messages that are delivered to the campers.
Earlier, the General Directorate of Traffic has taken a number of measures including conducting round-the-clock traffic patrols and inspection drives on shops to make them comply with safety requirements.
